With advances in medicine the complexity and sophistication of medical procedures has increased exponentially. As a result, many of these advanced medical procedures require an array of highly specialized medical devices to perform the procedure. These medical devices, which can include medical tools, medical implants, medical devices, medical equipment and medical consumables, among other devices, are often consolidated and laid out in a convenient manner for the surgeon and other medical staff on what are known as medical trays, or simply trays. These trays are specifically built and assembled for specific procedures. Due to the highly specialized contents of the trays, assembled trays can be valued in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Due to the highly specialized contents of these trays, it can take in excess of six-months to build and/or rebuild a tray with the needed contents.
In practice, these trays are shipped around the country and around the world when and where they are needed. This shipping occurs through a network of sales representatives, or simply sales reps and shipping agents, such as common carriers and specialized carriers, among others.
Despite the extremely high value of these trays, these trays are shipped without any ability to track the present whereabouts of the trays. Due to the present inability to track these trays, this often results in missing, lost and/or misplaced trays.
Lost or misplaced trays can have disastrous effects. A lost or misplaced tray can cause the delay or inability to perform a needed medical procedure when and where needed. A lost or misplaced tray may require another tray to be built, which has huge financial impacts. A lost or misplaced tray can cause a delay in payment to hospitals, surgeons, sales reps and others involved in the process. A lost tray can cause substantial insurance claims.
Another problem with the inability to track these highly valuable trays is that it causes unnecessary risk to the parties involved. As an example, sales reps involved in the distribution process are responsible for the care and custody of the trays once they take possession. As such, the sales rep is held responsible when the trays go lost or missing. The sales rep may be held liable even if they had nothing to do with the tray being lost or going missing. This can cause insurance claims, loss of income and a higher cost of doing business.
For all of these reasons stated above, and the reasons stated below, there is a need in the art for an improved medical device tray tracking system and method of use.
Thus, it is a primary object of the disclosure to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that improves upon the state of the art.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that provides the ability to track the location of medical trays.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that improves the ability to track the location of medical trays.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that reduces the number of lost or misplaced medical trays.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that reduces the cost of medical procedures.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that improves the efficiency of medical procedures.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that reduces the risk to medical sales reps for lost or misplaced medical trays.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that reduces insurance claims due to lost or misplaced medical trays.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that reduces the need to build or rebuild existing medical trays.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that improves the efficiency of our medical system.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that reduces the potential for delay in medical procedures due to a lost or misplaced medical tray.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that lowers the cost of healthcare.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that is easy to use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that is safe to use.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that is easy to implement.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that is practically foolproof.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that does not substantially increase the cost of delivery.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that has a robust design.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that has a long useful life.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that is durable.
Yet, another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that is relatively inexpensive.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a medical device tray tracking system and method of use that is high quality.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the specification, figures and claims.